


So left the fair sunray

by Ritsanni



Category: Buzzfeed The Try Guys (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Soulmates, The Try Guys, but nothing in too much detail, there are mentions of death poverty war etc, zagene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-04 22:39:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17313155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ritsanni/pseuds/Ritsanni
Summary: Zach really didn't want to go to the party.In the end he's glad he did. He left the party holding hands with his soulmate, the man whose dark eyes he'd fallen in love with for the fourth time in his life.(Aka a soulmate Au no one asked for)





	So left the fair sunray

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this is my first fic I've managed to complete! I mostly wrote this in the middle of night so it might be a bit wonky. (Also English isn't my first language so grammar and spelling mistakes are probable)

Zach Kornfeld wasn't a party person. He didn't enjoy the crowd of people. He didn't enjoy the blasting music and flashing lights. He didn't enjoy having a hangover the next day. Heck he didn't even enjoy alcohol itself! And he didn't like sitting alone in a corner, having lost his friends and being too awkward to talk to people by himself. 

He had gone to parties quite a lot when he was young. Young and impatient. But who could blame him. Didn't everyone want to meet their soulmate as soon as possible? Find that missing part of you. The perfect person. The one that makes up your world. That aside, even if you weren't interested in a relationship there was the possibility of unraveling memories.

Imagine, complete lifetimes you could find out about. You could see how the pyramids were made! Or you could be the king of Sweden or something. Or you could just go back to the 80's and laugh at the fashion. 

The soulmate system was weird. It was never an end it all, like making your choices for you. It didn't prevent you from living. You could date people, fall in love, even grow old with them. 

You'd just sort of restart your life. Usually in a new time and place. That would repeat until you shared a kiss with your soulmate. No matter what, the universe found a way. Most people found their soulmate only after a few tries. Some even on their first. After all, there was a strong pull between soulmates. And like he said, universe would find away.

And that's why Zach had given up trying to force it. Not that any girls seemed to like him anyway. So he threw himself into studying. The year was ending soon. Zach would have to step out into the real world sooner or later. 

He still had no idea what he wanted to do. People kept saying 'oh just think of what you're good at! ' Who did they think he was? He wouldn't be studying so hard if he was good at anything. His friends thought he studied too much. But they didn't know what he was going through.

His best friend Keith was three years older than him and was already out of school. Even when he had been in school he hadn't studied much. He had known he wouldn't need any algebra in his life and he didn't. He was in a semi-successful band with his friends Alex and Hugh and occasionally doubled as a comedian, making enough money from the things he did for fun. Zach was kind of jealous. 

Like Zach said, Keith didn't understand his 'obsession' with studying. He often invited to him to hang out saying he needed to 'relax' a bit. Sometimes hanging out meant getting takeaway. Sometimes it meant playing games. Sometimes it was getting stoned together. Sometimes, like tonight, it meant getting dragged to whatever event. 

Zach groaned as he leaned against the wall. He had already managed to get separated from Keith and wasn't sure if he knew anyone in this party. He wasn't quite as popular as Keith, you know?

So he was just chilling on the sidelines, pretending to be waiting for someone and watching people like a creep. There was a small crowd of people dancing. Zach almost considered joining in before realizing he wasn't that good of a dancer. 

He sighed, instead walking to the kitchen to get something to drink. The kitchen wasn't empty as he hoped. At least it wasn't a complete stranger. Actually it might have been better if it was. Then there wouldn't be that much pressure to make small talk.

He didn't mind Ariel, but he definitely wouldn't consider her his friend. He only knew her because she was a friends with Becky, who was Keith's girlfriend and in the same class as Zach. Zach walked towards the drinks, taking out his phone and pretending to read a text. 

"Hi! Zach, was it? " Ariel greeted him. Zach sighed but put a smile on his face as he looked up. 

"Hi Ariel. " 

"Okay so we're planning on playing truth or dare and looking for people to join in. Are you interested?" She asked, leaning on the counter. 

"Uhh... Sorry no. I actually really need to find Keith!" Zach tried to excuse himself. 

"Oh, Keith's joining us in the truth and dare! Are you sure you don't want to come with?" 

"Uhh, well in that case..." Zach found himself agreeing. "I'm just gonna grab a drink first! " He was going to need it if he was going to be exposing himself to strangers. Both the secrets kind and stripping kind were in the realm of possibilities. 

He followed Ariel to the upstairs bedroom where a few people had gathered. 

"I got one!" Ariel announced to the room making all of them turn to look at Zach. Zach gave a small wave before sitting himself down next to Keith. 

"Okay, we'll just wait for Ned to come back and we can begin! " Ariel announced. Zach took the waiting period and used it to get a good look at his fellow players. There were Keith, Becky and Ariel obviously. There were only two other people and apparently the person named Ned that they were waiting for. 

One of the people was a girl with dark skin and short curly hair. The other one had long brown hair pulled into a ponytail and was dressed in a far too nice dress for the occasion. 

"Okay we're back!" The ginger haired guy (Ned?) said as he walked into a room with another person. Zach's jaw dropped at the sight of them. 

Remember when he said the girl's dress was too nice? Scratch that. This guy was dressed in a fucking suit jacket. His pants were tight, but not too tight, clinging to his legs just the right amount. His undershirt was a dark golden-ish colour that matched with his stiletto nails. 

He was wearing heels, which along with his pushed back hair made him seem impossibly tall. Zach didn't even realize he had been staring before the man spoke. 

"This seat free?" 

Zach flinched and blabbered out "Oh uh what? Oh right! The seat uhh sure? I mean no? I mean you can sit there if you want. " 

"Okay" the man said in a cold tone and sat down. Keith nudged Zach's side with his elbow and when Zach turned to look in his direction he smirked at Zach and glanced between him and the guy. Zach glared back and then turned in the other direction. 

He glanced at the guy and no, he didn't seem any less tall or intimidating when he was sitting. Zach felt his face going red. Fuck he said something stupid! The guy seemed to be judging him hard. Zach found himself staring again this time snapping back to reality as the guy turned his head to stare right back at him. 

But he didn't look away. Instead he studied those eyes. Oh those eyes. Zach wasn't sure what was so enticing about them. They were dark, Zach could even describe them as black. There was a twinkle in those eyes, one he wouldn't expect from a guy like him. 

Maybe it wasn't the eyes themselves he loved. Perhaps it was the myriad of feelings in them. He didn't bother trying to unravel them. The moment got interrupted as Ned started. 

"Okay Liah! Truth or dare?" The guy practically ripped his gaze away and focused on the ongoing game. Zach'd better too... 

It was a few rounds later. Most people had picked truth, so it hadn't been all that exiting. Zach had found out stuff like how the girl named Lily had dated some guy named Kevin. Stuff like that, not very interesting. Especially when it was people he didn't know that well. 

Keith had picked dare. He had been challenged to impro a love song to the pigeon outside. That had been kind of hilarious. Ned had also picked dare. But it was some lame ass dare that involved being all mushy with his girlfriend. Apparently Ned and Ariel were one of those inseparable soulmates. 

Zach was forced to share the story of his first kiss (which was embarrassing but he got over it) and to reveal a celebrity crush of his. Normal stuff. The guy he was sitting next to, Eugene, had picked dare twice. 

The first thing he was dared to do was remove an article of clothing. Zach had almost choked on his drink when someone said the dare. Eugene had removed the suit jacket. His toned arms were now for all to see , complemented by his tank top.

The second dare was him dancing. He had seemed very excited to do it and who could blame him. He was fucking amazing! Ned had scoffed at whoever gave the challenge (You're letting Eugene get away easy!) Now it was Eugene's turn again and knowing how the last to dares went, Zach was kind of looking forward to the next one. 

"Okay Eugene, truth or dare?" Keith asked him. 

"Dare ," Eugene replied without hesitation. 

"Hey you can't do the same thing thrice in a row!" Lily pointed out. 

"Yeah, we wanna hear some truths!" Liah prompted. Eugene seemed to hesitate for a second before agreeing. 

"Okay fine, truth then?" 

Keith thought about it for a second glancing around the room.

"Okay, tell each person here a thing you like about them. " Eugene furrowed his brow. 

"Isn't that technically a dare? " 

"I mean... uh oops it is... Wait I'll change it! How about you just tell how you feel about Zachary here? " Keith smiled and gestured to Zach. Me? Zach turned to look at Eugene who seemed to be inspecting him up and down. 

"Okay... I don't really know him that well. He seems nice enough? He's also tiny. But like in a old man kind of way? Also he's really hairy." Eugene commented "And you have really nice eyes..." he whispered the last part. Zach felt his heart jump. Okay so it sounds like he dislikes him? But like also doesn't? 

"Oh my god that was like the most fond he's ever spoken of someone!" Ned hyped. "Well, unless you count his mom or his dogs." 

Zach kept looking at Eugene, heart still somewhere it probably shouldn't be. He seemed a bit flustered; Zach could swear he saw a blush spread on his tan cheeks. He smiled at the sight, it was good to know that the guy wasn't completely emotionless after all. "Okay, my turn! Ned, truth or dare...."

"Zach, truth or dare?" The guy named Ned asked him. 

"Uhh... well I guess I have to pick dare..." he responded. He wasn't really looking forward to embarrassing himself. That was what was going to happen judging by the previous dares Ned had given.

"Okay! I dare you to kiss Eugene!" Zach gasped in surprise. 

"What?!" Eugene yelped from next to him. 

"Oh you heard me just well!"

"But its not allowed to include other people in dares, right?" Lily pointed out. 

"We didn't define it as a rule when we started, " Liah countered. 

"Yeah! Besides, Ariel was included in Ned's challenge. "

"Yeah, but that's different becau-" 

"Is nobody going to ask me?" Eugene quirked his brow. 

"We know what you think. But it's fine... lose the game if you want," Ned smirked. Before Zach could comment Eugene cut back in: 

"No way I'm gonna lose to you!" Apparently he seemed to forget that the dare wasn't even on him. And Zach didn't remind him. Eugene turned back to Zach. 

"Let's do this, Zach. " he watched as Eugene closed his eyes and began to lean closer. Zach didn't know what to think. He had never kissed a guy! What if he was... Zach found himself also leaning in. 

There was a moment. A moment before the kiss. The moment where Zach could feel Eugene's hot breath on his lips. And to say it felt good was an understatement. Zach didn't know whether it was him or Eugene that closed the distance between them but now they were kissing. 

Not a full on make-out kiss, but that would be expected, wouldn't it? They wouldn't want to get too steamy with a crowd watching them. Maybe it was the drinks, but Zach found himself a little disappointed. Not that the kiss was bad. Eugene's lips were soft against his own. He felt his shoulders relax before tensing right back up as he was overcome with a wave of emotion. 

Emotions, ones he couldn't explain. But he needed to hold on to Eugene. Don't let him leave. Don't leave him. 

Zach recalled when he was a little child. But not the same child that he was when he was young. Did that make sense? On the ground before him lay another child, rubbing his head and groaning. The boy looked up and Zach was enchanted by his dark eyes. 

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" he seemed to shrink away from Zach. The boy seemed frail, like he hadn't eaten in a long time. His skin seemed sickly pale and was covered in dirt. Zach stared at the poor boy before shaking his head and coming to his senses. 

"It's fine. Are you okay?" The boy just nodded his head, not making eye contact with Zach. "Here let me help you up, " Zach said, extending his hand to the boy. 

He seemed surprised and hesitated, but eventually took Zach's hand. As he pulled him up, Zach noticed he was very light. 

"Thank you.... uh. " 

"James" Zach, or James, filled in. 

"William, " the other boy responded and smiled a little at James. His smile was pretty. 

"James!" a female voice called out and the smile disappeared from William's face. William yanked his hand out of James' and tried to sprint away. Luckily James' reflexes were faster than Zach's and he managed to grab the hem of his shirt. 

"Wait! Don't go!" 

The boy glanced around frantically and sighed. "Listen, I have to. " 

"Why?" 

"I just- ugh... just trust me, please. I can't stay. " James furrowed his brow. He didn't want to. Why didn't he want to? But looking at the fear in William's eyes, James felt himself letting go. A decision he regretted immediately. But it was too late. 

The boy was gone. 

Then Zach grew up to what he'd assume was his late teens. He wasn't James anymore. He froze as he heard gunshots ring out nearby. There were people rushing past him. 

"Come on!" someone shouted. Zach followed behind them, feeling his lungs protest at the unexpected exercise. He stopped to pant. 

Some people were already coming back. Bringing people with them. Soldiers. Someone shoved a med kit in my arms. "Here, take care of him. " 

Zach did as he was told and bent down to the level of his patient. It was a man around the same age as him. He was sitting on the ground, holding his upper arm with a pained look on his face. 

"Okay, are you hurt anywhere other than your arm? " 

"A bit yeah, but not all that badly, " the man smiled slightly. 

"Oh okay, can I see your arm then? " 

The man moved his hand out of the way and Zach nearly gagged. Who the hell decided to put him on first-aid duty? He shook his head and began to work. He opened the kit and took out a bottle. 

"This might hurt a little bit, " he warned and started spreading the disinfectant on the wound. He heard a low hiss from the other man but kept going on. It was semi-deep and presumably caused by a bullet. That had to have hurt. Once the wound was cleaned he wrapped it up with bandages. 

"Okay, that's done now..." he informed his patient. 

"Thank you, and good luck..." the patient said, standing up. 

"Wait, where are you going?" Zach asked, also getting up. 

"Back to the field." 

"With your arm? No way." 

"My arm is fine." 

"You might injure it further if you go, " the shorter man insisted. The other sighed, but agreed and Zach led him to their 'patient ward'. 

Time passed. It was only meant to be for just a week at most but then the man's arm got infected. He fell ill to a fever and no matter what Zach and the other medics tried he wouldn't get better. 

Zach refused to leave his side. Always brought him water when he wished. Always listened to his promiscuous murmurs, even if they rarely made sense. Always sang a lullaby to him in the evenings. He was there to hold his hand up until the very end. 

He was there to write down 'Joseph Jin Oh: Time of death 5:45'.

The time changed once again. Zach was still young, although not quite as young as before. Zach was standing in front of a man. A beautiful man. A man with the dark eyes. 

A man he knew he loved, but a man who he couldn't be with. Because it wasn't allowed. If anyone were to find out nothing good would follow. They would be separated for sure. They would be considered a disgrace. 

Zach would almost be fine with being called that if it meant being with the love of his life. But it would be too much to lose. Even if Zach wouldn't mind he knew that Eric had a bright career ahead of him. A bright career and a family that he cared about deeply. Zach couldn't make him give those things up.

It would hurt Zach for a while, but eventually he'd get over it. Besides there was a girl. A girl he felt for. Not nearly as much as he did for Eric but felt for none the less. Felt feelings that would be acceptable. She was someone he was allowed to marry. Someone he could love openly. 

Eric was a charming man, he would find someone to love too if he so desired. Zach and Eric could grow old together as friends.Together yet separated. 

Little did he know that wouldn't happen as he said the words that shattered Eric's heart. He didn't expect how much it hurt to reject Eric's pleading. He didn't expect Eric to say hurtful things back at him. He didn't expect expect him to run off never to be seen again. 

And he didn't expect that he would always feel incomplete.

Zach was thrown back into the present as he felt Eugene's lips part from his. He opened his eyes and let out a gasp. Did this mean what he thinks it means? Are they..? Zach looked to Eugene for confirmation and saw shock kindling in his eyes. He thought of something to say but words wouldn't come out. There wasn't a lot of time to think as the taller man bolted up and fled from the room. 

"Eugene, wait! " Zach found himself screaming after him with desperation he wouldn't have expected. He got up on his feet and went after Eugene. He couldn't let him go now. 

He heard people calling out behind him but in that moment nothing mattered as much as finding Eugene. Don't let him go. Apparently Eugene was quite quick on his feet because he was nowhere to be found. He felt a lump in his throat begin to form. 

He staggered through the crowd of people, asking if they had seen Eugene. He got a lot of dirty looks from interrupting flirting couples but he didn't mind. No one seemed to know anything. The only clue he got was from a heavily drunk girl, saying she had seen him in the bathroom. He had held out hope that she was right, but when he went to check he wasn't there. 

He sighed and rubbed his temple. It was then that he spotted a door that seemed to lead to a balcony. He pushed the heavy door open and nearly squeeked as he saw the dark form of his soulmate stand by the railing. 

"Eugene!" he called, a smile forming on his face. 

"Go away!" the man grumbled, not bothering to turn around. 

"Wh-what? " Zach choked out confused. 

"I said go away. I don't want you here, " Eugene repeated. Zach had thought he had seemed intimidating before but now his voice sent shivers down Zach's spine. Zach felt like taking a step back and leaving, after all that was what Eugene wanted him to do too.

"B-but we're soulmates!" 

"That's the problem..." Eugene whispered, finally glancing at Zach. "Didn't exactly have a good life..." Zach felt relief as he saw the man's eyes again. They weren't hard with hatred but instead dull with sadness. So instead of taking a step back, he walked to Eugene's side. 

"Tell me about it..." He heard Eugene sigh. But he didn't respond. Before he knew what he was doing, Zach cradled Eugene's face. They stared into each other's eyes and Zach could only hope that Eugene loved those eyes as much as Zach loved Eugene's. 

"The first time we met... I was miserable. I didn't have much of a family. Only my mother. And she... died... when I was five. We never had much money. I had none. So I lived by stealing. That day I met you... I was on one of my trips. That's why I had to leave so quickly. Didn't want anyone to find me out. It was a pretty miserable life. At least I died pretty young, " he finished with an empty laugh. 

Zach frowned at the sadness that emitted from Eugene's voice. Zach remembers how frail the boy had looked. How come he didn't think to help him then? He shook his head. Eugene continued talking. 

"The second time? Can't complain much. Had a good life until the war broke out. Nothing much to say about that. I only served for a short time. It was kind of fun you know. Being with you I mean. It's kind of hazy, especially towards the end but... Thank you..." Eugene smiled for real now. Smiled at the memories they'd made together. 

Zach wondered whether Eugene would remember the song Zach sang to him. He hadn't been very responsive then, but maybe... But that's something for another time. 

"Wh-what about last time? " Zach asked nervously, already predicting it wasn't going to go well. 

"Last time, huh? Well you should already know most of it. So I'm guessing you want to know what happened after.... After that. You broke my heart, you know? And it didn't heal. I'm not sure it's healed even now. While you were dancing around with your pretty little princess I was crying myself to sleep every night. It didn't matter what I did, I was never happy. At least not nearly as happy as I was with you." Zach swallowed.

"I-... I'm sorry. I really am. I didn't think- I left you because you had a great life ahead of you. A beginning of a great career and a family that loved you. I didn't want you to lose all that because you were with someone like me..." 

"And you didn't talk to me? Ask what I wanted? We could've come up with something but instead you decided to take the easy way out? " Zach sighed. 

"Like I said, I'm really sorry. I just- I was scared and stupid. I regretted that decision for the rest of my life. Still do... " 

"What about now? Would you leave me again? Maybe you need to move to another state or something and you decide a relationship isn't worth the effort." 

"No! I could never leave you again! Especially now that I know you're my soulmate..." 

"That's another thing I'm worried about..." 

"What do you mean? " 

"Now that we've kissed there'll be no more do-overs. Every other time there was always the knowledge that if that lifetime didn't work out there was always a next one. Something to fall back on. But now... Now everything's final. " 

"Huh... I've never thought about it that way. That is kind of scary. But isn't this the time it plays out like it's supposed to? So there's nothing to worry about?" 

"Even if it plays out like it's supposed to it doesn't mean it'll be good. Think about it. What's different aside from us knowing? We can still be just as stupid as before. " 

"Hey!" Zach shoved him in fake offense, which coupled with the emotional distress sent the two men in a fit of giggles. They laughed for what felt like minutes letting it dissolve the tension between them. 

For a moment they were back at the starry field they often liked to go to. For a moment they were young and clueless again. For a moment they knew each other throughly. For a moment they were absolutely smitten with each other. And that smittenness didn't go away after the moment was over. 

"Seriously though. I won't leave you again. I couldn't. You're stuck with me. Unless YOU decide to take the easy way out?" Zach teased. 

"You're a bitch!" Eugene responded, but there was no venom behind those words, rather a hint of the same love Zach felt. 

"We should probably go back inside. I bet your friends are worried. " Zach suggested. 

"Yeah we probably should..." They walked inside and the warmth contrasted with the chilly night air.

"I need to use the bathroom, " Eugene told him. 

"Okay, I'll wait here, " Zach responded, a small feeling of longing settling in his chest as soon as Eugene left his side. Shut up heart, Zach wasn't going to follow Eugene into the bathroom. It was a weird feeling. But he'd have to get used to it. After all he wouldn't be with Eugene every second of his life. At least now Zach could understand why some soulmates seemed glued at the hip. 

Speaking of those kind of soulmates, one half of the couple that he played truth and dare with was walking in his direction. His name was Ned if Zach recalled correctly. Ned's expression was laced with worry, shifting to anger as he caught sight of Zach. 

"Hey you! What did you do to Eugene? Because I swear...!" he stomped over to Zach and even if the man wasn't that much taller he was quite intimidating. 

"I-I didn't do anything. I uhh... we-" 

"Lay off him Ned. " Zach jumped at Eugene's voice. He hadn't noticed him coming. 

"Eugene! Are you okay? What happened? " Ned moved his attention from Zach to Eugene and looked quite alike to a concerned parent. Zach would've laughed at his sudden change of mood if he wasn't still shaken up. 

"I'm fine Ned geeze, " Eugene glanced in Zach's direction. "Better than fine, actually."

"How come?" Ned asked, confused. " You seemed pretty freaked out earlier. " 

"Well uhh... " he stepped a bit closer to Zach. "It turned out we're soulmates." Zach watched as Ned's eyes lit up with a child-like joy. 

"Oh my god you're soulmates? Eugene, that's amazing! And oh you're Eugene's soulmate?" Ned turned back to him and offered his hand. "Great to meet you! I'm Ned, Eugene's best friend. Ohh wait until I tell Ariel!" He hurried off, not checking whether or not Zach and Eugene were following. 

"Sorry about him, he's a ball of energy. And really exited about love, " Eugene apologized. 

"It's fine, I have friends like that too." Zach and Eugene went after Ned, but they weren't in any hurry. They walked slowly hand in hand. Zach began to hum a familiar song. 

"When the sun ended it's journey,  
from her sisters fell behind  
the last sunray.  
Darkness crept into the forest,  
The sunray golden winged,  
was just about to fly away,  
when she saw a tiny goblin coming her way,  
it had just risen up from it's cave..."

Eugene squeezed his hand and from that Zach knew that he did, in fact, remember it too.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so that's done. Hope you liked it. The song in the end is an old finnish nursery rhyme that I translated (badly). 
> 
> I decided it fit well because I made Zach be part finnish in that life as a nod to his finnish ancestry. 
> 
> Also it's also kind of a love song, talking about a ray of sun and a goblin who couldn't be together because the goblin couldn't live in the light and the sunray would die in the dark. 
> 
> Sorry for rambling, hope it was midly interesting :D Have a nice day!


End file.
